Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Tag: narrative poetry

  • Try Again

    This piece is tilted more to advise. Dear friends, ever failed? Try again. Try Again Ever tried and failed? Try again Ever loved someone But it went down the drain? Don’t give up, try again! Ever applied for anything And yet find life wanting? Don’t give up, try again! Ever trusted someone But got disappointed…

  • Patience | Najwa Zebian

  • Haiku: Owl

    Owl dusk huntSquealing batsNight moments

  • Quote on Love

    Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. —Lao Tzu

  • Love Muse: Let’s Dance

    Oh, I’m trying… Generally, I’m trying to perfect my art of writing, and in particular for love and lovers. I believe love is a remedy to all problems faced by the human race. Well, without further ado, I present another love muse. Good night. ✌️ Let’s Dance Let’s dance under the moonlight, Hold my hands,…

  • Sunrise

    Sunrise is truly a sign of a new beginning. The atmosphere is fresh, So are dew up the trees, Behind every great rock See the golden sunrise!

  • A Fierce Harmattan

    Sandy sheepfold Harsh harmattan Thrusting dry wind Down the mountain

  • Playing Child

    Don’t let the sun set end this play, dear child Today was a race up hills & down valleys, Your little legs an exalted wagon for hope Greeted by green trees that stand sentry Let the wind soar with your kite & dreams So that the dancing wind may find a friend With you, an…

  • African Quote on Heroism

    If heroes were born in the morning, the night will be too cold to receive them – Okoroji Chidiebere

  • Haiku: Bright Evening

    Bright eveningSparrows sing,Lovers listen

  • Haiku: Morning

    Morning fresh Rosemary green Tree heaven

  • Welcome to Life Again By David Thane Cornell

    My sickbed’s a barren beach without a sail,And on a sheet of tepid moonlit sandI lie prone as though asleep, exhausted & pale.I’ll slip my fingers from death’s tightening hand;The vessel of my body cannot holdThe numbing stream of beauty pouring down.The sky ablaze with stars, so vast & old,Like Aaron’s rod, strikes water and…

  • Notes on Confidence

    Confidence defines behaviours and actions, so this new year, let’s do ourselves favours by believing we are whole and accompanying these thoughts with actions that make us grow. So, be grateful every second for who you are and this will change your internal believes over time. What you tell yourself will either make you attract…

  • Country aura

    brown leaves, hazy wind, undulating hills, grey earth, bean cakes, smiling vendors, acrid smoke, rising from huts, drifting hawks, surfing the skies, green tuft, on the patched fields, mild airs, sleepy country breeze, sunshine, favourite aura of light, home, where love and the heart is

  • Spoken Poetry: World Made With Words

    There is Him who lights the moonlight like a bulb He makes the rain shower on all green life He surfs the thunderstorm like a horse Throwing to the Earth a veil of white snow He gives the morning a fresh scent of hope, Binding the nights to curdle the weary shepherds I listen to…

  • Dialogue 5: Greed/Selfishness

    The Greedy/Selfish Tortoise Storyteller: Ifochakpi! Audience: Waa! Storyteller: Nabe, the Tortoise is a controversial character. But we must note that the tortoise’s character is metaphorical. We use tales to demonstrate what is obtainable in the real world. Greed is a vice. In Africa, it is frowned upon and selfish people in folktales tend to fall…

  • Mist

    Mist like smokeDoused upon hutsMessenger of earthThat cling to hills Most, the color of palm wineWell gathering on mustachesOf men, old and youngA cover for wary rodents Mist, nature’s courierImpostor to manySteering to paths unchartedWhere fortune or failure lay

  • Love Poems: Loving Words

    Light is my sweet, loving words With faith, I stand my ground, When I look into your pretty eyes I behold a warrior, my happiest desire! You are a delicate bud For you, I sing and stand Songs, poetry and lavender perfumes, My muse, my all to make your joy blossom Let our happiness flow…

  • Love Poem: Three Words

    Three are my words, Painted on my band A colourful hue Remind me, I love you

  • Harmattan Has Come!

    Harmattan arrived grandly With the smell of burning grass, Dry nostrils and painted faces Harmattan made land arid So mud is now waterproof, And men without a sense of smell The thick fog of smoke and dust Greet the land that once knew rain Speak of her cold art: dusty faces & feet

  • Muse: Love is Magical

    Love is a magical feeling Binding two or more souls Their hopes & impressions, Establishing trust & to heal

  • Story of Compassion: The Brick

    Dear Friends here is a story about compassion, shared by a close friend on Whatsapp. A young and successful executive was travelling down a neighbourhood street, in his new Jaguar. Suddenly, a brick smashed into his side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the car back to the spot where the brick had…

  • Morning Wakes

    Morning wakes in the sun Windy clouds, happy yawns, Up the hill a quiet town Misty paths, bird tunes, All, green forest’s tenants

  • A Shepherd’s Song

    Tree roots are my favorite seat, mushrooms are cushionsOccasionally my thoughts drown in the music of sheep and birdsLight-colored birds fly above me, up in the trees they gatherTo watch the meeting of white wool spread across the green grassSome bolder birds come down to join the massive banquet,Picking stray insects that fled the grass…

  • Let

    Let this morn, a huge favour grant; Let it be known: I cherished you first

  • I felt roses by Alexander Okoroji

    It was a dream, The deepest of it, The silent have it, But this moments stole it, I whisper a little, She knew, It was love, She felt it, I never wanted it back, I gave it, A shyly shaky witty love. Oh no, What if I dent the colours, I spoilt it with odours,…

  • Shepherdlore: Dreams

    Down, down the quiet vale Where skies are always blue, And rivers rush over pebbles And birds sing all day long Live a young ruddy shepherd Who knew the forest And made friends with her dwellers His voice was kind, so was his hands He believed in fairy tales and angels And having it all…

  • Haiku: Bright Evening

    Bright evening Sparrows sing, Lovers listen

  • Haiku: Silhouettes Walk

    Grim pups howl Cold full moon Silhouettes walk

  • Muse: Love

    Love is when we stare into the eyes of each other When we smile for no reason but each others warmth It gives me pleasure to love you, masoyina And I cherish the thought of it every sunset **** Masoyina*: Hausa language for my love.

  • Life

    Life is like a mist Life is a precious gift, a blessing that we should never take for granted. Life is like a mist. The mist appears for a while and disappears forever. So in your thoughts, relive the moments that brought smiles to your face. Relive the hugs from the ones you love, the…

  • She Plays

    She plays the guitar as the winds tease the treeline Twilight brings our harmonious memories Together to admire the night sky, the setting sun, But impulses of shared affection let it again rise Fresh breeze – a moment of heartfelt enthusiasms These songs took my heart along with the rhythm Dancing, I realize I fell…

  • Night Poem: Vocal Nature

    Night Nature has a way of entertaining itself, you know. There are the nocturnal insects and birds who sing through the night, there are the whistling pines and the stubborn wind. The night can be annoying at times when buzzing insects bother sleepers, it can also let her musicals perform lullabies to weary people when…

  • Woman

    The braids on your hairTypical of an African womanBlack and natural. Well fitStraight cheekbonesMixed into hair,Like a young gazelles face.Your nose is like the fine basketWhen you breathe, it’s a wonderSame with your walk on flowers When you dance, you smile,Showing teeth, unspoiledThe teeth: white and strongPerfect fitWhen you love, it is realYou’re black and…

  • Nightfall in The Savannah

    Night falls behind the village fenceLast traces of day, shadows fadeTree lines turn grey and blackWhile the sky host a million stars Quiet evening, sound of waterHeard down the waterfalls, by the streamsideAnd from thickets bullfrogs wadeEnjoying the fresh and sweet breeze Tree branches play with the windSoft singing is heard from huts awayWhile hill…

  • Morning Wind

    this early morning wind is super happy for she is wedded to the chilly climate, this green land, her people, my delighted self, one beautiful place, I will always call home

  • How Lucky

    Gratitude I love you; I want you to know. It’s easy to take things and other people for granted. Sometimes people feel entitled because someone makes an effort to please or help them. Everyone needs to know that they are valued. Telling someone how much they mean to you is not wrong. Saying ‘please and…

  • Black & White

    We are one human race Tolerance I see tolerance as a powerful word that can improve the world. It’s about accepting people for who they are. Racism, nepotism, tribalism, fanaticism, and similar issues occur when we refuse to recognize that others deserve the same as we do. Teaching children that there is only one human…

  • Greens and Stones

    There’s so much beauty in the world, there’s so much pain too. Pain prevails more because man wants it so. I wrote this poem some time ago. It’s self-explanatory, so I need not talk much about it. The bottom line is that man, in his quest for wealth and power, has become an enemy to…

  • The Shepherd’s Muse

    Glad that the night brought pleasant airsThe shepherd lay to relieve the day’s stressCrickets chirp, the night is absolutely youngBut dreams come fast to a weary nomad

  • Night Sings

    The wind whispers a melodyThe skies whirr alongNight flies buzz in the darknessThe moon may grow to a big fellowFloating effortlessly up the night cloudLike an evening mist in a dark worldLetting all things and time vocalize,When my silly heart hum in love

  • What Genuine Poetry Looks Like

    Don’t worry, just write… Poetry is like we humans. Each poem is one different man. So we do not expect a poem to look ‘exactly’ like another. Each has its uniqueness. It need not be lengthy or short, it must not be like Shakespeare’s work, or like Okigbo’s piece. However, a poem can come in…

  • Dusk

    Ripples crash down,Dusks full confession close,But the elements are rugged,Sand swirls,Squinting crabs,Insects fly around,Birds chirp to the stream’s current,Now the evening is gently joined with dayUp above the clouds, are starry grinsA single moment of benign intimacy

  • Sound of Dance

    I heard the sound of shuffling feet As they moved on the dry grassland So I waited for the style for tonight Lost in the musical earth, Of grassy turns, faded sighs, A generous puff of midday wind, Trapped in a box of an eager heart

  • When The Rain Goes

    I Wish, I Wish Not It’s in man’s nature to wish for a thing and when it doesn’t favour him anymore, wishes it away. When it’s the rainy season, homes, roads and streets are flooded. Mosquitoes, sun flies, roaches, tsetse and other bad guys go on a rampage. Though the rain might help many people…

  • Choices

    What we do in life echoes for eternity. Maximus Choices are tender,Just like mirrors,They are a reflectionOf what is or will beSo if in or out,Be mindful of optionsIf in, maybe gaily securedIf not in, then out of mindDecisions made every dayComes knocking many years,So let it be good always.

  • Muse: Your Smile

    I’ve loved, severally… I don’t think I’ll ever get used to writing about love. I don’t think I would ever stop talking about it. Love moves the world around. Love is a force, energy, a sort of magic that many still can not define. I’ve fallen in love severally. I fell for the beautiful flowers…

  • Good Neighbour

    Our first neighbour is our environment – the air we breathe, the food we take in and the natural things that we see around us. Daybreak is her garment She dresses with flowers, Sings with voices sweet & soft And flirts with her helpers Good neighbour, fair nature, Flirting wind, green paradise Favourite aura, great…

  • An African Lullaby

    Come closer, come hear the song I must sing this nightCome let us sit under the mango, let us enjoy the moonlight,The sweet breeze brings memories, like the quiet riversideWhich flows freely, running in peaceful haste thru the wild The cold day took her toil on our strengthBut the night fire hands us some warmthLean…

  • Sunrise Before My Eyes

    The sun rises before my eyes,Light throws her veil on earthThe breezes travel southOn their pathLetting lyrics,Within, withoutI see how lucky I amTo have this unfailing love